Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Decreases Stock Position in Morningstar, Inc. $MORN

Key Points

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Liontrust Investment Partners LLP lowered its position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 322,920 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 10,711 shares during the quarter. Morningstar comprises approximately 1.5% of Liontrust Investment Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP owned approximately 0.76% of Morningstar worth $96,834,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Morningstar by 9.7% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,802 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 106,294 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,874,000 after buying an additional 12,159 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Morningstar by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 305,014 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $102,719,000 after buying an additional 13,155 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Morningstar by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,077 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $699,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in Morningstar by 9.8% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,249 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Morningstar Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of MORN traded up $1.92 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $262.29. 723,425 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 331,777. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93 and a beta of 0.96. The business's 50-day moving average price is $287.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $295.30. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $250.34 and a 1 year high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.19. Morningstar had a net margin of 17.22% and a return on equity of 23.54%. The firm had revenue of $605.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $605.84 million.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 11th were given a $0.455 dividend. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 11th. Morningstar's payout ratio is currently 19.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MORN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morningstar currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.43, for a total value of $2,221,617.50. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 9,430,378 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,750,730.54. The trade was a 0.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 67,897 shares of company stock valued at $18,175,199. 36.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Morningstar

Morningstar, Inc provides independent investment insights in the United States, Asia. Australia, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates in five segments: Morningstar Data and Analytics; PitchBook; Morningstar Wealth; Morningstar Credit; and Morningstar Retirement.